1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image formation system for forming images which were read, a control method of the image formation system, an image formation apparatus and a storage medium thereof.
2. Related Background Art
A digital complex apparatus which has plural functions such as a copying function, a printing function, an image scanning function, a fax function and the like comes to be utilized widely.
As one of operation modes in the digital complex apparatus, an operation mode used for selecting optimum sheet size for the purpose of performing a copying operation called an APS (Auto Paper Select) has been known. An operation performed in the digital complex apparatus according to the APS mode will be briefly explained. First, in a scanner device held by the digital complex apparatus, an original size detection sensor equipped in an automatic feeder or the scanner unit detects original size. Then, image size is determined according to the detected original size and a copying magnification. Further, the optimum sheet size is selected by selecting copying sheet size most suitable to the image size among the copying sheet sizes held by the digital complex apparatus. By selecting the optimum sheet size using the APS mode, the setting of sheet size, or the like can be easily performed by a user.
In recent years, it has been proposed an image formation system which achieves an operation mode called a cascade copy operation, in which plural digital complex apparatuses are connected to a network and a printing operation is performed from the digital complex apparatus (called a local equipment) for reading originals to the local equipment itself and the digital complex apparatus (called a remote equipment) other than the local equipment connected through the network. Productivity of the image formation system can be increased by performing the cascade copy operation.
In this image formation system, if the cascade copy operation mode is performed together with the above APS mode, it is considered that a work load of the user at the local equipment side and the remote equipment side can be decreased.
However, in the above image formation system, if a case of performing the cascade copy operation together with the APS mode is taken into consideration, there occurs a problem regarding sheet selection. For example, when optimum sized sheets selected at the local equipment side or the remote equipment side are not stored in a sheet feed stage, an output result not intended by the user such as a case of outputting images on different sized sheets between the local equipment side and the remote equipment side, or the like is obtained. As a result, there arises fears of occurring such a defectiveness showing a fact that data desired by the user can not be outputted.
The present invention is applied to solve the above problem, and an object is to provide an image formation system, a control method of the image formation system, image formation apparatuses and a storage medium thereof for preventing a problem of sheet selection may be occurred when the plural image formation apparatuses output images, and obtaining an output result desired by a user.
In order to achieve the above object, it is provided an image formation system which includes an image formation apparatus for forming an image which was read and another image formation apparatus capable of communicating with the image formation apparatus through a communication medium, wherein the image formation apparatus, comprising:
a first selection means for selecting a sheet of which size corresponds to an attribute of the image;
a first detection means for detecting whether or not the image formation apparatus has the sheet selected by the first selection means; and
a second selection means for selecting a sheet other than the sheet of which size is selected by the first selection means as a sheet to be used in forming an image by the image formation apparatus in a case where it was detected that the image formation apparatus does not have the sheet by the first detection means,
while, the another image formation apparatus comprising:
a control means for controlling the another image formation apparatus to perform an image formation using the sheet selected by the second selection means.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image formation system, a control method of the image formation system and a storage medium thereof for obtaining a desired output result even if printing sheets can not be automatically selected when the plural image formation apparatuses output images.
In order to achieve the above object, it is provided an image formation system which includes an image formation apparatus for forming an image which was read and another image formation apparatus capable of communicating with the image formation apparatus through a communication medium, wherein the image formation apparatus, comprising:
a first selection means for selecting a sheet of which size corresponds to an attribute of the image; and
a second selection means for selecting a sheet other than the sheet of which size is selected by the first selection means as a sheet to be used in forming an image by the image formation apparatus,
wherein in case of forming images in the image formation apparatus and the another image formation apparatus, the sheet size held by the image formation apparatus is priorly selected on the basis of the selection according to the second selection means even in a case where the sheet size selected by the first selection means is not held by the image formation apparatus and is held by the another image formation apparatus.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an image formation system, a control method of the image formation system, a local copying apparatus, a remote copying apparatus and a storage medium thereof for preventing difference in the printing sheets between the local equipment side and the remote equipment side which may occur by performing an APS operation when a cascade copy operation is performed, and obtaining a desired output result.
In order to achieve the above object, it is provided an image formation system which has a local copying apparatus having a first scanner unit for reading an original image, a first printer unit for printing the original image and a first sheet feed stage for feeding sheets used in printing performed by the first printer unit, and a remote copying apparatus having a second scanner unit for reading the original image, a second printer unit for printing the original image and a second sheet feed stage for feeding sheets used in printing performed by the second printer unit, can print the original image by the second printer unit by transmitting the original image which was read by the first scanner unit from the local copying apparatus to the remote copying apparatus through a predetermined network, wherein the local copying apparatus, comprising:
a first selection means for detecting size of the original image to be read by the first scanner unit and selecting sheet size to be used in printing the original image on the basis of the detected size;
a detection means for detecting whether or not sheets of which size was selected by the first selection means are stored in the first sheet feed stage;
a second selection means for selecting sheet size other than the sheet size selected by the first selection means as sheet size to be used in printing the original image by the first printer unit, in a case where it was detected that the sheets are not stored in the first sheet feed stage by the detection means; and
a notification means for notifying the sheet size selected by the second selection means to the remote copying apparatus,
while, the remote copying apparatus, comprising:
a control means for controlling the second printer unit to print the original image received from the local copying apparatus using the sheets of which size was notified by the notification means and they are stored in the second sheet feed stage.
The above and other objects of the present invention will become clear from the following description of embodiments.